Amanda Rohrer Composition I Oct 10, 2013 Professor Copper Ways of Reading Prcis According to the authors of Ways

of Reading: An Anthology for Writers, reading is not merely understanding what the author has written but letting the words speak past just a simple sentence into a new purpose and challenge in the reader. If the reader can speak for a passage then reading becomes more than just an information hunt. Each reader has their own perspective and thoughts on a passage and views it differently, this is when the text becomes your own. The authors of this textbook emphasized this point by giving an example about an essay written and students who viewed it completely different than each other. After reading, developed readers use writing as a way of streaming thoughts together. Then by revising these thoughts readers become even stronger in reading. The essays in this textbook were specifically chosen to challenge readers and to better the thinking process by being what is not expected by the students. Usually textbooks are given as an information guide for a certain subject. If required to read then the point is to get the main idea out of the passage assigned. This is not the only reason to read. Reading to find meaning is important as a reader. Making simple notes in the text, annotating, is a simple way to easily find these main points and puts meaning behind them. These annotation make inserting opinions in an essay much easier since the thought was already present when read.

The essays in this textbook were selected based on difficulty and the fact that the authors anticipated audience is not college students. Each was designed to present different ways to read. One way is to read with the grain. This is with the intention to see through someone elses eyes like the writer. The other way is reading against the grain, to challenge the views that the author has written. With the students not being ready to read these challenging essays, which is most of the essays presented, it teaches them how to learn. If it is quite difficult, rereading the selection and putting it into laments terms helps with understanding. Also there are questions at the end of each essay to guide you in the rereading, to find focal points from the author. Lastly, finding connections from daily life to the text provides further explanation and can further interests. As a reader, it is important to stay in tuned with the essays in the text and to challenge oneself beyond the words on the page provided by the author. Understand where the author is coming from and then highlight the focal points important. Then, form an opinion and further the subject in writing.